Mauritania, Rwanda, Seychelles and Central African Republic confirmed their first coronavirus cases on Saturday, bringing to 23 the number of African countries that have reported positive tests for the virus.
Moving swiftly to contain its spread, Rwanda, Senegal, Madagascar, Mauritius, Morocco and Kenya announced tougher control measures, including bans on public gatherings, halting flights and closing schools and universities.
Three days after the World Health Organization (WHO) described the outbreak as a pandemic, there is concern among health specialists about the ability of some African nations to meet the logistical and financial challenges posed by the fast-spreading virus.
Borders are porous and many nations have extremely poor health infrastructure. Some countries, like Somalia, are fighting insurgencies while others, such as South Sudan, have high levels of malnutrition.
But governments are implementing preventative steps to try to keep the virus at bay.
“To prevent the outbreak entering in Madagascar, all flights connecting Madagascar to Europe are suspended for 30 days,” Madagascar President Hery Rajaonarimampianina said in a statement.
Madagascar, one of the world’s poorest nations where malnutrition is rife and outbreaks of deadly diseases are common, will also suspend air links to the nearby islands of La Reunion and Mayotte, he said.
The East African nation of Rwanda, which registered its first coronavirus case on Saturday, announced hours later that schools and universities would be closed for two weeks starting from Monday.
The Health Ministry also called for all places of worship to close their doors and for large gatherings such as weddings and sport events to be postponed.
On this video, Luvuyo Mdeni explains COVID-19 footprint in Africa:
